Tell Us What You Think of When You Think of the REAL America

[VGThuy]

In one of the PI threads, there was some talk about average Americans, and it got me thinking that this is an international forum and I wonder what some of you imagine when you think of the "real" America or the "average" American?

I thought I'd make a thread where we can share what that means to us and it may be helpful for us to see what we all think about when we think about this term. I'd like to keep this thread positive if possible but that's not a directive or anything.

So, here is a video I'd like to share about one facet of America I don't know if many of you think about.

This is a video of 95-year-old Leah Chase, the partial inspiration for Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, showing us how to make her creole gumbo. To me, when I think of "America" I really think of New Orleans and all of the cultures that have formed our identity. Some say we are the most Northern part of the Caribbean/Latin America due to our influences, some say we're a French city in North America (though we don't speak French the way people think), some know of our African influences, some know us for our food, our Native-American influences, some know of us from Hurricane Katrina and showed that deep poverty and that race-based income inequality exists, others know us as the birthplace of jazz, etc. To me, this is America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPakK2wuhcg

Through her showing us how to make gumbo, she also gives us insight into the city. I thought her reaction to the South Carolinian's description of Carolina's gumbo was hilarious.

 

[PeterG]

Cool topic.

Google tells me there are just over 325 million Americans at this time. So to fill in the blank of "an average American is..." would be a task where I (and everyone else) would be wrong.

My next thought goes to stereotypes. Which are often the worst example of a group. So that would be wrong as well. I guess there are many ways to answer this question and maybe all answers would be right, but probably all answers would be wrong as well. America is just too diverse...too many (many) things for any response to even begin to answer the question.

Thinking of this in terms of being positive, one thing that comes to mind is "hope". America being a place of having the freedom to go after your dreams and making them all come true. Of course this is a stereotype (or generalization?) but the optimist in me likes this aspect of America(ns).

I also love the "melting pot" aspect of America. Although a loud section of America seems to NOT like this.

And freedom. To be able to say and do what you want (within the guidelines of American laws, of course). I feel lucky to be born into a country (Canada) where I also have these freedoms. I don't even want to try to absorb what it must be like for certain groups of people in other countries where they have to hide parts of themselves, sometimes in unfathomable drasticness.

 

[Simone411]

Well, regarding the melting pot, @PeterG. I, myself, am a mix of different heritages. I'm Syrian, English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, French and part Native American Indian. My grandfather was born in Daher Safra Village, Syria.

He left on a ship leaving France headed toward the United States in the early 1900's. He was 18 years old when he left. There was a war going, and his parents put him on the ship that landed at the Port of New Orleans. From there, he came to my hometown and stayed with some relatives that already lived in my hometown. He became a citizen in 1952.

A lot of Americans may not like the "melting pot" aspect of America. Butt, the truth is that every US citizen is part of melting pot or 'immigrant' if you wish to call it that. The only people that aren't part of the melting pot or an 'immigrant' is the Native American Indian.

I'm proud that my grandfather moved here from Syria, and that my other great, great, great, great grandfather came here from Drayton Berkshire, England in the 1500's. I wouldn't be here or exist if they hadn't moved to the U.S.A.

 

[MacMadame]

The idea of a melting pot is somewhat unique to the USA. It's not just that people come here from all over but that all these cultures are melted down like crayons and swirled together to make a new culture. Not every country that is largely made up of immigrants considers that a good idea. Some are proud of the fact that all the cultures that make up their country remain intact and distinct. Canada considers themselves a mosaic and not a melting pot, for example.

 

[Skittl1321]

Anytime I hear someone use the phrase "Real America" I think of how annoying that phrase is. All parts of america are "real". Rural or Urban, south or north, middle or coasts, rich or poor, black, white, brown, or anything else- every one of those perspectives are equally valid. None is more real than any other.

I like the idea of a melting pot, but I also like the idea of a wonderful salad: we might all be mixed together, but we don't lose our individual identities either. But being together makes us better.

 

[skatesindreams]

I also like the idea of a wonderful salad: we might all be mixed together, but we don't lose our individual identities either. But being together makes us better.

Our individual gifts and identities should work together to create/contribute to a more inclusive and welcoming country; rather than what has been happening under current conditions.

 

[Cachoo]

Years ago I think Mario Cuomo referred to us as a mosaic. We come together while still retaining our own identities. I always liked that. I was watching "60 Minutes" one day and found the segment instructive about this country. They were profiling Italian males who often live with their mothers (parents) until they marry. The reporter was talking to an Italian professor and he said it was just a difference you might see between a lot of Europe and the U.S. Because of our history we are taught to take risks, to be independent and be willing to move sometimes far away from the nest. He brought up the image of the cowboy riding from town to town. The professor didn't advocate one way over another. He wanted us to understand why something that may seem odd here is acceptable somewhere else.

I also believe it is interesting to look at our test scores. We fall behind in so many categories. We lead in one though: confidence. That could backfire on us: Look at our current leaders. But for ordinary Americans the willingness to try may help us learn what we need to know along the way. We fall, we get up and try again. There is no shame in that. I don't presume that this is a strictly American trait though.

 

[Prancer]

In one of the PI threads, there was some talk about average Americans, and it got me thinking that this is an international forum and I wonder what some of you imagine when you think of the "real" America or the "average" American?

Well, if you were to take this literally (which is not the way I think you mean it, but), I am very close to being the average American according to the statistical profile. That's not all me, but it's pretty close to being me.

I find this rather amusing, as I have had people from other countries here and elsewhere tell me I am not at all an average American, whereas I have always thought of myself as pretty much as average American as it gets.

A "real American," OTOH, is any citizen, because how else could it be?

 

[VGThuy]

A "real American," OTOH, is any citizen, because how else could it be?

I'm the wrong person to ask that question. We need to ask someone who keeps saying something that implies something different.

 

[Japanfan]

Thinking of this in terms of being positive, one thing that comes to mind is "hope". America being a place of having the freedom to go after your dreams and making them all come true. Of course this is a stereotype (or generalization?) but the optimist in me likes this aspect of America(ns).

Land of opportunity where the little person can make big! There's some truth to that of course, but also a hefty amount of mythology.

I also love the "melting pot" aspect of America.

I prefer the 'cultural mosaic' notion of Canada. But it too has a hefty amount of mythology.

 

[VGThuy]

I prefer gumbo or stew. Separate ingredients and chunks but each influencing the flavor & texture of the other while stewing in the same broth/soup.

 

[MacMadame]

I prefer gumbo or stew. Separate ingredients and chunks but each influencing the flavor & texture of the other while stewing in the same broth/soup.

I like that. I never had an issue with the melting pot terminology but if you think about it too literally, if you do melt a lot of colors of crayons together, you end up with a brown lumpy mess. I don't think that's what people think of when they think of America being a melting pot though.

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

I think the "average American" is trying to support their household. Most have jobs they like or need enough to keep working. And most worry about their financial and physical future. I think the average American is stressed.

 

[Japanfan]

I never had an issue with the melting pot terminology but if you think about it too literally, if you do melt a lot of colors of crayons together, you end up with a brown lumpy mess. I don't think that's what people think of when they think of America being a melting pot though.

What I learned about melting pot society versus cultural mosaic society growing up in Canada was that the former entailed immigrants assuming the identity of 'American' over their own 'cultural identity' - not that the former was relinquished, but came second to being American. In contrast, in Canada, cultural identity was part of the Canadian identity.

I can't really evaluate the truth of this due to having little knowledge or experience of immigrant people's lives in America. However, in light of America's position as the most powerful hegemony/nation on earth - and to some, the greatest nation on earth (still today), it's understandable that the collective conscience of the American people might therefore tend towards national patriotism.

I'll add that the notion of the cultural mosaic in Canada is a bit of myth. I have seen the mosaic to be a real thing in Vancouver and Toronto, but rural Canada is another story altogether (less immigrants, less welcoming of immigrants). And there are still immigrant populations or populations settled here due to immigration/diaspora who are isolated from mainstream society. For example, there is a population of people belonging to an Ethiopian ethnic minority called the Oromo in a least one major Canadian city perhaps more. They are isolated and live in poverty and terrible conditions, and face barriers to accessing the rewards and opportunities of Canadian society.

Most Canadians have never heard of the Oromo. I wonder if our government even remains aware of them.

 

[Skittl1321]

I think the "average American" is trying to support their household. Most have jobs they like or need enough to keep working. And most worry about their financial and physical future. I think the average American is stressed.

I think "average american" is a very different question from "real american".

You can determine statistically who is average. But so many people talk about the "real america", to discount the opinions of the non-real ones.

 

[ilovepaydays]

I personally have never liked the term “Real America”. It just seems like a weird term - there isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a “fake America”, right? Isn’t the entire United States of America the entire United States of America and that’s it?

Even the term “average American” is hard to exactly define because this country is so geographically and demographically diverse and often leads people to have different experiences and outlooks.

 

[attyfan]

IMO, one of the advantages of the "melting pot" or "stew" analogy is that it shows better the fact that immigrants affect "American" culture/lifestyle/etc as much as "Americanization" affects immigrants. "American music", for example, is heavily influenced by an African-American development called "jazz".

 

[Aceon6]

Joel Garreau’s 1981 book, The Nine Nations of North America, did a good job of explaining that an average American looks at the world and acts quite different depending on the ethnic makeup and economic conditions of their region. Things have changed a bit post 2008 recession, but his work still has weight.

 

[rfisher]

While the "average" American may be a statistical entity, "real" American is used by many to define themselves and those not like themselves aren't real--I saw a news report on social media where a white male was refusing service to a Native American because he wasn't a "real American" and was demanding he return to their own country. So, it a sociopolitical sense, the term real American has significance among subsets of the population.

 

[Skittl1321]

I personally have never liked the term “Real America”. It just seems like a weird term - there isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a “fake America”, right? Isn’t the entire United States of America the entire United States of America and that’s it?

Even the term “average American” is hard to exactly define because this country is so geographically and demographically diverse and often leads people to have different experiences and outlooks.

"Average American" isn't super hard to define; you look at the data and find the average- it just isn't going to actually describe any one person very well. Statistics are meaningless to the individual.

 

[pat c]

Insular.

Now I realize that is probably not an accurate picture overall, but when I think of the US population it's what comes to mind.

but rural Canada is another story altogether (less immigrants, less welcoming of immigrants)

I think it pretty well depends on where you go. Where I am, we have quite a few and on the whole there isn't any more of a problem than in urbans.

 

[Rogue]

One of my favorite vignettes of real America occurred at a park in Texas where a group of Islamics were celebrating the end of Ramadan with a pinata.

 

[VGThuy]

One of my favorite vignettes of real America occurred at a park in Texas where a group of Islamics were celebrating the end of Ramadan with a pinata.

LOVE IT!

Reminds me of going through a drive-thru daiquiri shop back in New Orleans and looking behind me and seeing a Muslim family. And no, we're not allowed to drink it while we drive.

 

[Prancer]

I read this article today and thought it was interesting in that it addresses our perceptions of our fellow Americans. The focus of the article is on progressive activists, but it does touch on other groups.

If you look at what Americans have to say on issues such as immigration, the extent of white privilege, and the prevalence of sexual harassment, the authors argue, seven distinct clusters emerge: progressive activists, traditional liberals, passive liberals, the politically disengaged, moderates, traditional conservatives, and devoted conservatives.

According to the report, 25 percent of Americans are traditional or devoted conservatives, and their views are far outside the American mainstream. Some 8 percent of Americans are progressive activists, and their views are even less typical. By contrast, the two-thirds of Americans who don’t belong to either extreme constitute an “exhausted majority.”

I find this kind of thing interesting because most of us associate primarily with people like ourselves, which gives us the impression that "most" people are like us, whatever us happens to be. The more you see only people who are just like you, the more I would think you would define a "Real American" as someone like yourself. I read a poll yesterday (don't know where it is at the moment) that asked people to define "American" and the most common answer was "Speaks English," which I thought was pretty telling.

 

[Vagabond]

This is what the average American looks like

According to the Washington Post, she's 52-year-old college educated, Democratic-leaning, home-owning, evangelical Baptist with a college degree working in education or health care who voted for Hillary Clinton.

I have never met anyone like her in real life.

 

[MacMadame]

I bet there are some people on FSU who fit that description. Well, maybe not the evangelical Baptist. But I also question their methodology once they get past "white woman" so there's that...

 

[gkelly]

According to the report, 25 percent of Americans are traditional or devoted conservatives, and their views are far outside the American mainstream.

I wish they broke down the percentages between traditional conservatives and devoted conservatives.

I don't understand what it means to say that 25 percent of the population is outside the mainstream (not counting those outside the mainstream on the opposite pole).

Or what they mean by "traditional conservatives" -- I would expect such a group to be pretty well within the mainstream, unless the idea is that the majority of the country has abandoned tradition.

 

[Vagabond]

The more you see only people who are just like you, the more I would think you would define a "Real American" as someone like yourself.

I was going to say that I would define "Real American" as a devastatingly handsome, multilingual, moderately liberal, middle-aged Jewish bachelor with three degrees and a dry sense of humor, but then I realized that it went without saying.

 

[Prancer]

This is what the average American looks like

According to the Washington Post, she's 52-year-old college educated, Democratic-leaning, home-owning, evangelical Baptist with a college degree working in education or health care who voted for Hillary Clinton.

I have never met anyone like her in real life.

Well, if you were to take this literally (which is not the way I think you mean it, but), I am very close to being the average American according to the statistical profile. That's not all me, but it's pretty close to being me.

It's just that we haven't met.

But I know at least 10 women who match that description pretty much down the line.

 

[once_upon]

I think @Japanfan has it right. No matter who you are in America, you are stressed.